Wood type information

The Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection at the University of Texas at Austin.

All manufacturers used the end cut method when producing wood type.

Through the 19th century, never more than three or four manufacturers were operating at the same time. Some of the manufacturers names were Darius Wells, William Leavenworth, Edwin Allen, and John Cooley.

The woodtype industry began to decline in the 1920's, most specimen books were limited to Gothic styles for the rest of the twentieth century. The remaining manufacturers shut down one by one.

The combination of the router and pantograph in 1834 allowed mass production of wood type.

The router, which was moved by the arm of the pantograph, duplicated original templates. It allowed exact cutting of any size of type from one master template.